What you'll learn

In this course, you will learn the fundamentals of audio signal processing and recording.
You will learn how MIDI works, where it comes from, and how to use it to produce.
You will walk through the history of these tools in a light and fun way.

Course content

4 sections • 30 lectures • 4h 26m total length

Overview & Philosophy0:36
Why take this class, what we will cover, and how I will cover it.
Video 1: Orientation6:14
Video 1 Recap1:04
A summary of the main points in the first video.
A Brief History of Recorded Audio0:19
As you might guess, this is one of my favorite things to talk about. In the lecture below, I've condensed my normal lecture on this down a little bit, but you still get all the main points. If you are going to be making electronic music, you should know your roots.
Video 2: A Brief History of Recorded Audio23:24
Video Recap 21:37
Summary and recap of video 2.
Hardware & Software0:24
Electronic music production as come a long way since Max Matthews. Like I said in Lesson 1, the fundamental principals are the same. But we don't need a computer the size of a building any more. In fact, by todays standards, you don't need a particularly fast computer. You need something speedy, but not super top of the line.
Video 3: Hardware and Software46:52
What kinds of hardware and software do we need in order to make some music? In this lesson we explore the options from several perspectives - including price.
Video 3 Recap2:47
Summary and recap of video 3.

MIDI Basics0:21
You can kind of think about all the work we do as producers being the crafting of 2 kinds of material: Audio and MIDI. That's probably a big over-simplification, but it holds true on a general level. In our first 2 lessons we talked about working with audio, and in these next 2 lessons, we will talk about working with MIDI.
Video 4: MIDI Basics42:00
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) - how to use it, how not to use it, and how to incorporate it into your music.
Video Recap 41:58
Summary and recap of video 4.
Producing with MIDI0:18
In this lessons we are going to look at building some music using the piano roll editor in Ableton. If you are not an Ableton Live user, don't worry. Everything I'm going to talk about in this lesson is pretty universal on the different DAWs. So you should be able to apply it in whatever you are using.
Video 5: Producing with MIDI18:26
Video Recap 51:03
Summary and recap of video 5.

Working with Loops0:19
In this video: Working with loops. We talk about file types, file formats, and other general production tips.
Video 6: Working with Loops31:33
Video Recap 61:13
Summary and recap of video 6.
Reason, Rewire, & Exporting0:09
In this lesson: Reason (another app), ReWire (a way for apps to talk to each other), Flattening (a way to simplify your session) and Exporting (a way to finish your tracks).
Video 7: Reason, Rewire, & Exporting22:07
Using Reason, Rewire, and Exporting to complete and polish your tracks.
Video Recap 71:17
Summary and main points of video 7.
Synthesis0:12
Synthesis, generating our own sounds in a synthesizer from scratch, is a very important aspect of Electronic Music. It's fairly tricky to learn and can be daunting. In this lesson, I try to simplify synthesis into it's four most important aspects.
Video 8: Synthesis41:36
The basics of audio synthesis, how to use a synthesizer, and how to program your own sounds.
Video Recap 81:45
Recap and Review of Video 8.
Closing Thoughts0:32
Hurray - you made it to the end of Introduction to Electronic Music - Online!

Subtractive Synthesizer Patch Deconstruction No. 1 (in Propellerhead's Reason)6:45
In this video, we will take a preset in the Subtractor in Reason and pick it apart. We will walk through what makes it tick, and how slight adjustments can have big effects.
Subtractive Synthesizer Patch Deconstruction No. 2 (Ableton Live)6:30
In this video, we will take a preset in the Analog Synthesizer in Ableton Live and pick it apart. We will walk through what makes it tick, and how slight adjustments can have big effects.
Using Audacity (Free software)3:34
I've been asked to talk a little about Audacity - a free program useful for audio editing. Here is a short overview of it. Its a great program!
Bonus Lecture: Discount Offers & Mailing List1:14
There is so much more to learn!
The Handout!0:05
It looks like the handout has gone missing from earlier lectures. Here it is again in case it doesn't show up above anywhere.

Requirements

No software is required for this class. No experience with electronic music, or music in general, is necessary.

Description

100% Answer Rate! Every single question posted to this class is answered within 24 hours by the instructor.

This is a general course for people with little or no experience producing electronic music. This course will cover all general aspects of music-making (key, pitch, form, harmony), through basic audio concepts (waveforms, frequency spectrum, etc.) ending at basic concepts of synthesis and MIDI.

The class will be taught by J. Anthony Allen (Ph.D.), an instructor of music composition at Slam Academy, McNally Smith College of Music, and an Ableton Certified Trainer. All ages and skill levels are welcome.

My Promise to You:

I am a full-time music producer, composer, and Educator. If you have any questions please post them in the class or send me a direct message. I will respond within 24 hours. And if you find this class isn't for you, I am more than happy for you to take advantage of the 30-day money-back guarantee. No questions asked.

What makes me qualified to teach you?

In addition to being a composer and educator, I also have a Ph.D. in music, I am a university music professor, and have a long list of awards for teaching.

But more importantly: I use this stuff every day. I write music professionally, I am an active guitarist, and I stay on top of all the latest production techniques, workflows, and styles. As you will see in this class, I just love this stuff. And I love teaching it.

Let's get started!

See you in lesson 1.

All best,

Jason (but call me Jay...)

Who this course is for:

Everyone interested in getting started producing, mixing, or DJing. This is the place to start.

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Digital Audio Production9 lectures • 1hr 23min

All About MIDI6 lectures • 1hr 4min

Putting It All Together10 lectures • 1hr 41min

Bonus Videos5 lectures • 18min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: